EAGLE ROCK, Calif. - The Hawai`i women's track and field team was well represented at the Occidental College Invitational, Saturday, at Bill Henry Track. Three Rainbow Wahine posted NCAA Regional qualifying marks raising the number of qualifiers to a school-record six athletes in nine events this season.

Sophomore Kelly Young qualified for her third NCAA Regional event by finishing the 1500m course in 4:26.18, a new school record. Young, who already qualified for the 400m hurdles and 800m run, has met standard for all three events for the second consecutive season.

Also qualifying in the 1500m was sophomore Dana Buchanan, who completed the run in 4:27.64. Buchanan becomes the sixth UH athlete to make the trip to Eugene, Ore., later this month for the NCAA West Regionals.

Both marks eclipsed the previous school-record of 4:28.40 set by Buchanan earlier this year at UCLA's Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational and rank Nos. 1 and 2 in the Western Athletic Conference event rankings.

Senior Tasha Monroe became the team's third multi-event qualifier by reaching standard in the 400m. Monroe won the event with a time of 53.81 seconds, also a new school record, and knocked off one and a half seconds from her previous lifetime-best. Earlier this season, Monroe qualified for the Regionals in the long jump.

Monroe also won the 200m event, clocking in at 24.06 seconds, which ranks No. 2 on the school's all-time list. Her time was one-tenth of a second from the Regional standard.

Junior Novelle Murray, the two-time WAC champion in the discus, won the hammer (50.79m - 166-8) and was runner-up in the discus (52.40m - 171-11).

Freshman Candace Rosenthal finished seventh in the 400m with a lifetime-best 1:00.53. Also setting a personal best in her event was senior Lana Phillips, who threw the javelin 37.40m (122-8) and finished third and and freshman Meghan Weaver, who heaved the hammer 47.02m (154-3) and finished fourth.

In less than a week, Young has broken two school records as she set the mark in the 800m (2:06.53) at the All-Comers #8 on Tuesday. In addition to the 400m, Monroe owns three other school records (60m, 150m, 300m).

The previous school-record for Regional qualifiers in a season was four athletes in seven events in 2004. Other Rainbow Wahine who've posted Regional standards this season are Murray (discus, hammer), Weaver (shot put), and sophomore Patricia Gauthier (pole vault).

The Occidental Invitational was the team's final meet in preparation for the WAC Outdoor Championships, set for May 11-14 at Tulsa's Hurricane and Soccer Track Stadium.

Occidental Invitational Final Results

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